SteveyGee

There are numerous stories about people who live in France, visit the UK and relate as to how much happier they are. They all say they "will never go back to the UK". They say that the quality of life is so much better, citing less rush, criticism of the way in which the government run the country and finding life generally less stressful. Some of the people I have seen certainly look slimmer and a few years younger. As a married man of 38 with a 2.5 year old supporting a very demanding career leaving home at 5.30 /6.00 am to return home at say 6.30 ish to 7, this starts to sound appealing. It would be nice to be able to have enough energy in the evenings to get off the sofa and it would be even nicer to not have to rely on weekends to recover from the week so that I can feel better and sharper 1st thing Monday morning! As for criticising the government, everyone does that . The thought of running a gite complex and having the time and freedom to do other things certainly sounds attractive as long as it can support the family. So what is the real appeal and experiences of ex pats living in France ? What comprises this "much better of quality of life"?. Why can it not be achieved in the UK ? Is it just the domain of retirees who have enough money to see out their years ? What is there for younger people ? Is the grass greener or is it a state of mind ? I await with interest !          

Have property prices started to move down yet ? Following a recent visit to France were surprised at how much people are asking for their properties (even though in comparison to the UK you are still getting a lot for your money). We noticed that some properties have been on the market for some time as well. It would seem that property values have been pushed upwards by the ability of English people to buy relatively cheaper property in France. However property is not selling so easily in the UK now. Is this not having a knock on effect on the French market ? Where is the best place to look for gite complexes - say 4 gites plus a farmhouse ?      

I have read recently that the Gite business as a way of life is not all its cracked up to be. The word is that the market is saturated and once reliable levels of income have dived causing some Brits to pack up and go back to England. Who is failing and what types of business are failing ? Have these people got the wrong formula ? As a rule of thumb what would a family of 3 expect to be able to live on £pcm assuming no mortgage or expensive cars ?  Is the market saturated or does one have to upgrade accomodation and diversify? What opportunities are there to diversify , are there opportunities to earn from gardening / looking after properties ?      

Thank you both. I thought as much. Steve  

Am I right in concluding the following: In Northern France- Brittany/Normandy - the weather is similar, if not a little warmer than South East England. This means overcast days and rain during the Summer just like the good old UK. Is is advisable to tailor your Gite business in these areas so that you make sure that there alternative things to do for your guests ?   i.e. - an indoor play area for kids, having a location where there are places to visit locally, decent restaurants, indoor entertainment in the Gites such as DVD , satellite TV... Can the weather really be an issue ? Does this shorten the season ?